


Just Another Night

by Yrindor



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Elements of Bungou Stray Dogs, Gen, Murder, Sportsfest 2018, Supernatural Elements, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 09:36:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16238963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yrindor/pseuds/Yrindor
Summary: A call in the middle of the night about an unusual murder hadn't been part of Kuroo's plan for the day, but that was life at the detective agency for you.





	Just Another Night

"Kenma, do you have the evidence log?" Kuroo asks, shuffling through papers piled high on his desk. They're the last two left in their office, with only the steady hum of old fluorescent lights for company as they tie up the ends of a case.

Kenma glances up from his monitor. "On top of the first evidence box, and there's a link to the electronic record in your e-mail."

Kuroo looks at the pile of boxes and papers that have slowly spread to take over an entire table adjacent to their desks and sighs. Closing a major case is a great feeling, until the reality of all the associated paperwork sets in. "How many boxes did we even end up with? And how am I supposed to find #1?"

"Thirty-seven. One was under the table near the back last I saw. Should be labeled on all sides."

"I know where the numbers are," Kuroo grumbles. He wrote most of them himself. "Why did we think it was a good idea to collect so much evidence again?"

"Solved the case," Kenma says.

"I guess we did. Care to drop your games for a minute and lend a hand?"

"Not playing. Checking e-mail. 325 new messages since this morning; 67 need replies."

Kuroo groans. "At this rate we're never going to get out of here," he says. "Does anyone in this department sleep?"

Kenma waves in the direction of the otherwise empty room. "Signs point to yes," he says. "It's barely ten; we've had much worse."

For the next few hours, they work in relative silence broken only by occasional strings of cursing. The clock down the street strikes one as they complete their respective tasks, the low echo punctuating the thud of a heavy report being dropped on the desk.

"Finally," Kuroo sighs. "Ready, partner?"

"As soon as this shuts down," Kenma replies, poking at the computer currently making a somewhat alarming crackling noise. "Think Requisitions will ever replace this?"

"Probably faster for it to have an 'accident'." Kuroo chuckles. It's a well-known secret that, for all that their department is regarded as the best of the best, their budget has seen better decades. It's the downside to a unit that relies on a lot of careful observation and deduction and less on the newest, shiny gadgets.

"If it's not gone by next month, maybe I'll make sure Noya's standing next to it and ask him about the new sentai series he can't stop talking about. That should do it."

Kuroo laughs and ruffles a hand through Kenma's hair. "That it would," he says.

They turn off the lights as they leave, locking the door behind them. The rest of the building is dark and empty, the fluorescent lights of the hallway a harsh contrast against the muted moonlight and street lamps casting shadows into empty offices. The front desk is empty as well. "Back in 5," reads a hastily scribbled note. The scent of drying sharpie still hangs in the air, and the click of crutches is fading down down the hall.

Kageyama must be working the night shift then, confined to the desk until his sprained ankle heals, and they must have caught him during one of his frequent trips down to the vending machine for more milk.

They make their break for the front door before anyone notices and holds them up for longer.

The phone rings.

They freeze with a hand on the doorknob and exchange glances.

"Fine," Kuroo says finally, backtracking to the desk and lifting the receiver. "Tokyo Metropolitan Detective Agency. How may we be of service?"

"Murder near Tokyo Station? That's Tokyo Police jurisdiction; we only respond if they call us directly."

"You _are_ Tokyo Police. Why didn't you say that to start? Detective Kuroo Tetsurou speaking, what's the situation?"

"Unusual circumstances? Can you be more specific?"

"What do you mean you don't know? You're at the scene, aren't you?"

"Only witness is incoherent??? Do any of your detectives have eyes of their own they can use? Actually, nevermind. Don't touch anything. We'll send a team over as soon as possible."

Kuroo hangs up and rubs his temples. "Save us from incompetent sergeants," he mutters.

"You answered my phone," Kageyama says, returning just in time to catch the end of the conversation.

"You weren't around," Kuroo retorts. "Tokyo Police just called and wants assistance. Who's on duty tonight? I thought it was Yaku and Noya, but I didn't see them when we left."

"They were, but they left a few hours ago. Reports of a train to nowhere near Shibuya that warranted investigation. Backup would be Daichi and Sugawara, but they're assisting Asahi's unit with a complicated case in Ueno; some sort of disturbance they're trying to contain before it reaches the zoo."

"Understaffed and it's only the first night of the full moon," Kuroo says. "That's Tokyo for you. Who's left on the roster? You're still out. Yamaguchi's out from the same case. Hinata's in Sapporo for a conference this week..."

"Tsukishima and Oikawa," Kageyama snaps.

Kuroo winces. He saw those two paired up once. It's not an experience he wants to repeat.

"We'll take it," Kenma says quietly.

"What?"

"We'll take it. We don't have any active cases right now, and Kuroo already took the call. You can fill me in on the way, Kuroo."

"But it's past one, and we just finished--"

"Don't pretend you weren't up later than this last weekend playing video games," Kenma counters. "Come on. We'll make it a challenge to close it before sunrise."

Kuroo groans, but he can't say he's surprised, not with how long he's been partnered with Kenma now.

"Assign this case to us, Kageyama; we'll finish the paperwork when we get back," he calls over his shoulder as he follows Kenma out the door.

"What do we know?" Kenma asks as they walk down the sidewalk. The pools of light from the street lamps ebb and flow under their feet in slow ripples.

"Not much. Dead body found less than a block from Tokyo Station, but one of the back entrances; it must have been closed or nearly closed when she was killed. The reporting officer didn't offer much other detail, but apparently the witness who called it in was hysterical and going on about werewolves."

"Which is why we were called in, and why no one is looking too hard before we arrive."

"Nailed it. It's early for a werewolf though; I would've expected more of these cases to be showing up tomorrow night and the next."

"Did the witness know the victim?" Kenma asks.

"If so, no one passed that along."

"If we hurry, the next train's coming in three minutes," Kenma says. They pick up their pace, the patterns of light on the street dancing more quickly underfoot. The trains are infrequent at this hour, but the budget doesn't extend to calling a cab. If they miss this one, they'll be stuck waiting.

They arrive at the station just as the train rattles in. They're the only ones on board, not even a businessman napping in a seat after a late night. The rattle of the rails is muffled inside the train, the silence broken only by the automated announcements coming from overhead.

Kenma checks something on his phone. "The moon's up for another five hours," he says.

"You have your silver on, right?"

Kenma tugs on his collar and pulls out a silver ring on a silver chain. "Always," he says. It's not much, but it's at least a little deterrent. Kuroo has a matching ring on his right hand, but he also carries a gun loaded with silver bullets. Kenma has never carried a gun; he's an investigator, not a fighter, and he trusts Kuroo to have his back. Kuroo hasn't failed him yet.

"Next stop: Tokyo," the mechanical voice chimes. "Doors will open on the left."

They file out of the car in silence. Tokyo Station is never empty, but it feels that way compared to the crowds of the day. Half of the lights are dark, and the few others in the space are businessmen shuffling home with their heads hung low with fatigue and travelers trying to nap on their suitcases and backpacks as they wait for overnight connections.

Kuroo makes for the front of the station, but Kenma tugs him back and points toward the darkened hallways leading away from the exit signs.

"Are you sure?" Kuroo asks. "Everything's closed this way after two. We can have someone open it up for us and turn on the lights after we check in."

"Want to see it this way first. Don't tell anyone we're here yet."

"You'll want exit 11a."

Their footsteps echo down the deserted halls. The darkness folds in to surround them as they turn corner after corner away from the open areas. If Kuroo were alone, he would have turned on a flashlight by now, but Kenma doesn't seem to want one, and he's learned to trust Kenma's intuition, even if he can't follow it himself. He settles for keeping one hand by his gun instead, ready to free it and put himself between Kenma and a threat in a heartbeat if he needs to.

His heart is pounding in his ears by the time they reach the gate in question. Kenma stops well back from the closed grate, studying it from the shadows for a long minute before pressing a finger to his lips and signaling Kuroo to go back. He's moving more cautiously now, as if he's worried about being seen, and Kuroo finds himself following suit.

The building tension leaves in a rush as they turn the last corner back into the main station.

"Did you find something?" Kuroo asks.

"Maybe. Let's go see the scene."

An officer is waiting for them just outside the ticket gates.

"You're late," he says. "Your train arrived almost ten minutes ago..."

"Bathroom," Kenma replies. "Dinner was—"

The officer cuts off any further explanation with a wave of his hand. "Nevermind," he says quickly. "You're here now, and hopefully you can sort out this mess for us."

"We didn't get much from the officer over the phone," Kuroo cuts in. "Can you describe the situation?"

"Not much to tell. A girl, early twenties, was found mauled to death about a hundred yards from the station exit. Her friend called it in. They were apparently supposed to meet earlier, but the subway broke down, and she couldn't get service in the tunnel to update the victim. Couldn't get much more out of her than that. You want my opinion? Looks like a werewolf mauling plain and simple. Never seen one as textbook as this."

"What time did the call come in?" Kenma asks.

"Half past midnight almost exactly."

Kenma makes a noncommittal noise. It's easy to miss, but Kuroo has worked with Kenma for long enough to pick up on the little things. He's also learned that with Kenma, it's often the little things that matter most.

Kenma continues asking questions until they reach an area cordoned off with tape. The lieutenant is waiting for them, looking none too pleased.

"There's no need for you to be here," he says. "Don't know why someone bothered to call you in. This case is open and shut by the book; Tokyo Police can handle it on their own. No need for _you_ all to get involved." He waves his hand dismissively in their direction as he speaks, leaving no secrets as to his feelings toward the two detectives.

"We'd like to see the scene anyway," Kenma says. "Now that we're here and the assignment is on record anyway."

"That won't be necessary. My officers have finished their investigation, we just released the witness, and we'll be releasing the scene as soon as the last signatures are in place. I won't be keeping this street closed just so that you can satisfy your own curiosity."

"Go ahead and release it if you want," Kuroo says. "I bet we can do a better investigation than your team even with you trying to tie our hands."

"If you want to play detective so badly, you'd be better off starting back at the station exit. Looks like the victim was dragged from there, and the witness corroborates that's where they were supposed to meet."

"Any remaining evidence is more likely to be disturbed here than back by the station. We'll start where the body was found and work our way back," Kenma says.

"The scene hasn't been released yet. Only authorized persons can enter, and everything needs to be logged. I'll need to see your credentials."

They both present their badges and licenses.

"Hmmmmm, these appear to be in order, but one can never be too careful. Did you read about the forgery ring they caught down in Fukuoka just last week. I need to run these through the computer. Can't risk letting fakes slip through on our watch right now; we'd never hear the end of it."

Kenma nudges Kuroo's leg. "I'm going for a walk. Let me know when the lieutenant's done stonewalling."

"I'm not stonewalling!" the man blusters. "I'm being diligent! Something you'd understand if you were _real_ detectives."

"I'm sure we would," Kuroo says mildly. The lieutenant yanks the badges out of his hand and stomps back to the police van flashing lights across the street. Kuroo sighs and wonders how long they'll be made to wait this time; he knows for a fact that it doesn't take more than thirty seconds to run the check on their credentials, maybe a minute if the connection is bad.

Seven minutes and forty-eight seconds later, the lieutenant returns. "Don't know what you think you'll find, but you're free to come in I guess. Don't get in the way of my men while they're cleaning up."

Kuroo ducks under the tape. Kenma isn't back yet, but that's fine; he'll come back when he's ready.

It's clear that the lieutenant wants both of them as far from his scene as possible, but his underlings seem more inclined to keep out of the way and let Kuroo work. The body has been moved, but Kuroo manages to steal a quick look before the body bag is zipped closed. It's not much, but there's nothing that jumps out to him as inconsistent with a werewolf attack.

The blood stains on the street are more obvious, even where they've been smudged by other sets of feet tracking through them. Kuroo looks more closely. The street would have been nearly empty at the time the officer stated the call came in. It's hard to tell in the current lighting, but it looks like only a single set of shoes tracked through the blood before it dried—heavy boots from the shape of the treads he can see.

He's just starting to follow the trail back toward the station when Kenma emerges from the shadows and pulls him aside to whisper in his ear.

He immediately turns around and signals the first officer he sees to join them. A few more whispered orders, and he heads toward the station at a run. Kuroo turns around and returns to the heart of the crime scene with Kenma trailing just behind.

They arrive just as the lieutenant is getting into his car to leave.

"Stop there," Kuroo orders, gun drawn.

The lieutenant tries to flee, but Kenma has already moved to cut him off. In a heartbeat, Kenma has him pinned to the wall of a building and is closing solid silver handcuffs around his wrists.

"You're under arrest," Kuroo says, "for the murder of Murakawa Sachiko, attempted murder of Kuroo Tetsurou, being an undeclared werewolf, and that's not to mention all of the counts of blackmail and extortion I'm sure will be coming out soon enough."

"Let me go," the lieutenant orders. "You have no right to be making arrests."

"On the contrary," Kuroo drawls, "you may not like it, but the Tokyo Detective Agency is granted certain powers usually reserved for the police force, including the right to make arrests."

"You can't prove anything! You're upset my people solved the case first, so you're making things up. You have no evidence. Your case won't last a minute in court."

"The closed station exit was booby-trapped," Kenma says. "You tried to send us back there knowing we'd set off the explosives if we tried to open it."

"If the gate was rigged, why didn't it go off when people left the station earlier?"

"It wasn't. The trap was set right around when we arrived at the station. We surveyed the interior route to the exit prior to meeting up with your unit. For the record, the wiring on the explosives was much more visible from inside the station, and we arrived just in time to hear someone putting away tools and walking away. Given that the scene had been secured at that point, either someone snuck past your perimeter, or it was an inside job."

"Do you know how hard it is to truly lock down an area this size, even at this time of night? It wouldn't be completely implausible that someone could slip past an officer if they really wanted to. Certainly more plausible than implying someone in this unit would do such a thing."

"I spoke to the witness," Kenma says. "I found her on her way back to the station; you're supposed to offer her an escort home you know. Anyway, she had some _very_ interesting things to share. Apparently Murakawa was working on an investigation that made her nervous for her safety. She refused to give too much detail over the phone, but she proposed they meet in person. The witness suspects the victim wanted to hand off copies of the most important evidence just in case something happened to her. Only she never made it to said meeting.

"With that information in hand, I did a little more digging into the victim's background. She's been in Internal Affairs for the police for over a decade, and she's closed several high profile cases. Most of the information about her current investigation is classified, but I did find enough to indicate that she was investigating your unit, and more specifically, you.

"It's not hard to put the pieces together from there. I'm sure she did the exact same thing. The pattern is obvious once you know what you're looking for. There's been a sudden rash of werewolf attacks in certain parts of the city over the past six months. The locations of the attacks seem random at first; they aren't clustered around any one station or street the way such attacks usually are, but when you overlay them with a map of your jurisdiction, the pattern is obvious. If you really wanted to avoid suspicion, you should have left your territory once in awhile.

"But that wouldn't have served your purpose would it? Another anomaly of the attacks was that, prior to tonight, there were no fatalities, and no one was bitten. Most of the victims were clawed badly, but their injuries were never life-threatening. In every case, you responded within ten minutes—not anyone on your team, you specifically. The case was investigated, written up, and closed within the day, not infrequently to commendations for efficient and exemplary police work. You did a good enough job attributing some of the cases to various wild animals that no one seemed to notice that there was either an entire pack of werewolves attacking the district, or one especially aggressive one.

"Your scheme seemed to be working perfectly. This department was the laughingstock of the police force when you took over, and you brought it to one of the most respected offices in the station. Everything seemed to be going your way. Until Murakawa started poking around. You panicked as she started closing in, and when her friend was delayed tonight, you killed her."

"You have no proof."

"The business card you gave her friend is covered in wolfsbane. Is that how you manage to switch so quickly? Keep a hefty dose of wolfsbane in your clothing for when you've done the dirty work and need to show up as the knight in shining armor riding in just in time?"

"It's not uncommon for the police to find themselves investigating crimes with possible supernatural ties. It's only natural we'd take proactive measures to protect ourselves."

"Show us the bottom of your shoe," Kuroo orders. He shines a light on it during the brief second the lieutenant complies. "Blood," he says, "and I'd be willing to be that the tread of your boot would be a perfect match for the ones in the victim's blood at the scene."

"We were investigating a murder. It wouldn't be hard to step in her blood accidentally, especially when I first arrived and was more concerned with seeing if she could be saved."

"Your timing doesn't line up," Kuroo says. "We know when the call came in, and we can estimate the time of the murder to within a fairly narrow window from the friend's account. Given the weather conditions, the blood would have been dry by the time you arrived. The only way for you to have ended up with that amount of transfer to your shoe is if you were at the scene right around when she was killed. You can deny it all you want, but the evidence is all going to come out during the investigation."

The lieutenant spits on Kuroo's shoes.

Kuroo ignores the gesture as he turns around. "Let's wrap this up and go home, Kenma," he says. "How did we do?"

"Almost two hours to spare," Kenma says. "Told you we could do it."

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't set out to write a Bungou Stray Dogs AU, but somehow the story turned into a bit of that along the way. Originally written for Sportsfest 2018.


End file.
